The Performance Annex at the City Heights/Weingart Library is open again, offering free plays and music inside San Diego's only municipally owned black-box theater. The venue reopened September 16, 2026, after a lengthy renovation that added nearly 1,000 square feet of new space, including a lobby, ticket office, and performer facilities that the building never had before.
According to City of San Diego, the Performance Annex is back in action with upgrades at its City Heights/Weingart Library location, hosting free plays and music for the public. The theater also opens directly into Officer Jeremy Henwood Memorial Park next door, and residents can check the library calendar to pick a show. Per the City of San Diego, the facility is the only municipal black-box theater owned and operated by the city, offering free year-round public programming and the ability to transform into an outdoor amphitheater facing the adjacent park.
A Nearly 1,000-Square-Foot Expansion
The renovation ran from October 2025 through September 2026 and added 989 square feet to the annex, according to the same city account. That expansion created a dedicated lobby, ticket office, greenroom, dressing rooms, a makeup area, and performer restrooms — back-of-house amenities that had long been missing for visiting performers.
The renovation also reimagined the theater's adjacent courtyard as a community commons, creating a gathering space beside the black-box theater.
A Federal Earmark and a Multi-Agency Funding Coalition
The renovation wasn't paid for by any single source. U.S. Representative Sara Jacobs secured $1 million in federal Community Project Funding for City Heights library and annex renovations.
The renovation received public funding, while philanthropic foundations have provided continuing grant support for arts programming and related initiatives at the site.
Rooted in the 1990s City Heights Urban Village
The Performance Annex isn't new to the neighborhood. It originally opened in November 1998 as part of the City Heights “Urban Village,” a public-private redevelopment initiative undertaken jointly by the City of San Diego and Price Philanthropies that centralized a library, recreation center, police station, and community college in one civic hub.
The connected City Heights/Weingart Branch Library serves one of San Diego's most culturally diverse neighborhoods.
The Theater Opens Onto the Adjacent Park
The theater opens onto Officer Jeremy Henwood Memorial Park next door.
San Diego's Park and Recreation Board approved a request in 2013 to name part of the park for SDPD Officer Jeremy Henwood, who was killed in the line of duty nearby in 2011, according to KPBS. City Heights residents spearheaded the campaign to name the park in his memory.
Digital Media Training Upstairs
Beyond the stage, the library complex also houses the City Heights IDEA Lab, which partners with Media Arts Center San Diego to offer six-week multimedia production courses and library internships for young adults aged 18 to 29. Participants create content during internships throughout the library system, per the city.
The theater has hosted public programming. Hoodline previously reported that the Asian American and Pacific Islander Dance Festival's Community Day used the Performance Annex and Jeremy Henwood Memorial Park on September 5, before the annex reopened on September 16, for free public dance performances and workshops. Residents interested in future shows can check the library's calendar to select a performance.
